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Change Management  Understanding the complex dynamics of organizational change is an essential part of any successful software systems implementation strategy.  We understand that we are not just software educators - we also have to be successful managers of perception and reaction to change itself.

Managing Software Education Means Managing Change

Why do so many large-scale change initiatives fail? According to Industry Week, these are the most commonly-cited reasons:

• Resistance to change

• No executive consensus

• No executive champion

• Inadequate project team skills

• Unrealistic expectations

• Staff involved too late

• No cross-functional project team

According to The Gartner Group, “For every dollar spent on technology, another three to ten dollars must be spent to retrofit the technology to address organizational and human concerns.” They recommend, “In the planning phase of a strategic application project, up to 40% of the total cost should be allocated to people issues.” Addressing the people side of change, early, is critical to change implementation success.

Achieving 'Return on Involvement'

Every organization which embarks on a process or software system improvement initiative seeks:

• Implementation ahead of schedule and under budget

• Increased customer satisfaction

• Operational efficiency

• Lower inventory costs

• Reduced operating expenses

To achieve these results, an organization must combine the right technical solution with a well-planned people strategy. And implementing this 'soft' people strategy is where CCT Solutions can help. We employ this simple but powerful framework:

Direction

We work with leadership teams and key stakeholders to build alignment on the direction of the initiative so that everyone is communicating the same message and is clear on the business imperative. This ensures clarity and agreement at the leadership level on the direction, strategy and goals of the initiative.

Commitment

A clear direction is only useful if people are committed to supporting it. We work with organizations to build commitment and buy-in to change initiatives by:

• Creating visual involvement maps of who will be involved with the change, how they will be involved, and when.

• Sharing vision of success and coaching leaders to share a vision for success in order to enroll and inspire others.

• Facilitating appropriate stakeholder involvement by working with the design team and leadership to ensure all stakeholders have been identified and involved appropriately so that maximum buy-in is ensured. This includes identifying early adopters as catalysts for change and enrolling them to drive success.

Capability

Our approach to capability development consists of four steps (GAIM) we take in partnership with our clients:

1. Gap Identification: Articulate big picture transformation and the skills needed in the organization to leverage investment in new technology and create sustained implementation.

2. Assessment and Creation: Based on evaluation, assess which skills exist and prioritize which need to be built. Create a custom solution to transfer highest-impact skills in manner that will achieve the greatest traction in shortest time. The solution may include learning events, on-the-job coaching, a learning process, action learning, and online tool kits, among many other possible components.

3. Implementation: Implement the solution, with our resources, client resources, or a combination.

4. Monitoring: Monitor and evaluate impact and integrate feedback.

Not only are the skills built in this process imperative to the implementation of new technology, but they increase employees’ effectiveness in all business situations; competence in non-technical arenas serves to build the overall organization’s capability.

► To see how we compare to other training and consulting services providers, view the Vendor Quick Compare resource page.

► Case Study:  Merging Cultures and Emerging A Winner - Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer equips its people to deal with constant change. [PDF]

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